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Guest post: Anand Bakshi

One of the best things about the internet is how much easier it is to find information about people you are interested in. Of course, the downside is that much of it is misinformation, which makes it all the nicer when you stumble across a source that you can have faith in—such as a family member! Of course for we fans of old Hindi cinema, there is still not much out there; this makes me even more grateful when someone like Rakesh Anand Bakshi contacts me. Rakesh is genuinely interested in preserving and sharing his great lyricist father Anand Bakshi’s legacy, and so he should be. Anand Bakshi wrote lyrics for more than 600 Hindi films, including many huge hits and many of my more obscure favorites too!

I found out through Rakesh that he also made a cameo appearance as a fakir during a song from Picnic (1966):

When I asked Rakesh if he would like to share anything about his father with us, he very kindly sent me the following.

Dear Readers,

This article I wrote for my Dad’s 78th birth anniv, on 21st July, was printed in Super Cinema on 2 August 2008.

Dear Ali Peter John Sir, senior journalist and writer with Screen India, asked me to write a piece on my Father on his 78th birth anniversary. I hesitated a moment, as it’s challenging to write without bias on so close a relationship. Especially being a Son who realized only much later, that his Father needed Solitude not because he did not love his Family, but because he needed to spend loads of time alone to be able to express himself, and to create lyrics. Even Nature creates in Silence.

I completely forgot my promise to Ali Sir till I was on my jog this morning. I thought I’ll write about two huge learnings that inspire me daily on my quest to be a good filmmaker. While I do the rounds of getting my cast and crew in place for my first feature script and film, I naturally meet artists across platforms. Some successful, most struggling, and some even failed filmmakers, actors, and writers. The one thing in common I found in all of these people from different crafts was, every one of them, experience lack of confidence, and sometimes self doubt. Some confessed their fears to me, while I could read it behind the façade of confidence some others put up to remain positive. We all are sailing in the same Noah’s ark. I decided to share the secret that inspires me when I experience similar pangs of self doubt and lack of confidence. My Father wrote almost 3500 film songs, for almost 800 hindi films.

And yet, believe it or not, but, before he wrote every single one of them, he feared he was no good at song writing! He feared he has done it so far, but he is going to fail this time for sure! In spite of the fact that he wrote many hit songs, popular songs, and songs appreciated even by the critics and the poet fraternity, consistently from 1957 to 2002! I think, he succeeded in spite of his fears because he always began afresh from ground zero. Never complacent in his victories and success, he always kept a higher goal alive. And he never let the lights of fame from his past earnings blind the path that lay ahead of him. This was huge learning for me. My Father taught me, it’s natural to feel self doubt or lack of confidence or poor self esteem. Because my Father was extremely successful and happy in spite of those fears. Another important lesson I received from him, “It’s not about making hit films, or writing a hit script. Hits and Flops are learnings. What really matters at the end of the run of hits and flops is the kind of person you become while your work becomes Hits and Flops. And, the Friends you earn and keep along that way.” My Father challenged his fears by writing a poem to inspire himself. Mr Subhash Ghai recorded it as a song for one of his films. The mukhda is: “Main koi baraf nahin hoon jo pighal jaoonga. Main koi harf nahin hoon jo badal jaoonga….Main toh jadoo hoon, main jadoo hoon chal jaoonga.” Happy Birthday Dad. Cheers!

Anand Bakshi was born on 21 July 1930 and wrote almost 3500 hindi film Lyrics, in over 636 hindi feature films, from 1957 to 2002. He traveled beyond our horizon on 30 March 2002, at 8 pm.

He believed: “There is something inside of me superior to my circumstances, stronger than every situation of life.”

Before he established himself as a lyrics writer for Hindi film songs, he served for 2 years in the Royal Indian Navy. He joined the Royal Indian Navy at Karachi, on 12 July 1944 as “Boy 1,” hoping that his ship (H.M.I.S. Dilawar, and later, H.M.I.S. Bahadur) would dock in Bombay, the land of his film dreams, but was disappointed when she did not.

He was dismissed from the Royal Navy on 5 April 1946, after he was arrested and detained for taking part in the Naval Mutiny at Bombay Harbor, against the British Empire, while on the ship H.M.I.S. Hindustan.

The family left Rawalpindi, Pakistan, for India (due to the Partition) on 2 October 1947. After Partition he served 6 years in the Indian Army, based at Jubbalpore, with The Corps of Signals, and later with the E.M.E. Infantry.

He went to Bombay to find work in films for the first time in 1951. He did not get work so he returned to the Army.

He married Kamla Mohan (his neighbor from Rawalpindi) on 2 October 1954. (Memsaab says: I cannot resist this photograph of her in full-on Kashmiri garb, I love it so. Although I have to wonder if she was able to walk wearing all that silver!)

He left the Indian Army, E.M.E. on 27 August 1956.

He arrived again in Bombay to again try and find work in films in October of 1956.

While in the Indian Army, on 21 January 1950, he wrote an “Aim in Life” for himself:

Every one in this world, rich or poor should have a definite aim in life.
A man without any fixed purpose in life is like a ship without radder, at the mercy of the winds, powerless to control its course.
So a person having no aim in life has nothing by which to guide his actions, or regulate his conduct.
I, the undersigned, Anand Prakash Bakshi (AZAD.), intend to study music.
For it is my aim in life to become an artist. And to achieve this, I must join films, radio, or theatre, and become a singer, songs composer, music director, director, etc.

(Later, on 10 October 1988 he added a footnote to this “Aim In Life” thanking God for helping him realize his dreams.)

All the photographs here are courtesy of Rakesh and taken from his marvellous Facebook page dedicated to his talented father. It has many many more pictures, mementos and memories of this man who contributed so very, very much to Hindi cinema over the span of five decades.

I love that he owned a Peugeot 404 car, because my family did as well. And it was white, too, although it had a blue swash along the side. Very stylish.

Thank you so much for sharing, Rakesh (here he is with his father in Kashmir, below). Truly his was a life well-spent, and I am so pleased that you are documenting it!

94 Comments to “Guest post: Anand Bakshi”

I love this quote (again from the FB page) from Lata after he passed away:

He was very blunt, spoke little, lost his temper quickly. He would never compromise. Bhut shareef aadmi the. He never interfered with anyone during recordings. He was one of the few lyricists that made it a point to attend all his recordings, and when necessary, suggest changes in expressions to singers, who he thought had not comprhended his words completely, or pronounce them correctly. When I was recording “tere mere honton pe, meethe meethe geet mithwa”, for “chandni”, he came up to me and asked me to pronounce the word meethe hard, with a strong th, instead of a soft one. His suggestion made a world of difference to the song. When ever he would meet me he would greet me with, “wah ji Wah”. When I received the padma bhushan, he wrote special verses for me. When it was his daughters wedding, he insisted I come. I traveled by car from kolhapur to belgaum, then took a flight to bombay to attend the wedding. When he sang a song with me in “mom ki gudiya”, “baghon mein bahar ayee”, he approached me before the recording and told me, since I am singing with him, the song will be a big hit. He always said to me, “my philoshopy in life is SIMPLE LIVING, HIGH THINKING. This philoshopy was reflected in his lyrics too. Even if the listener was a stranger to poetry, he could understand bakshiji’s lyrics. Over the years trends changed, but bakshisaab went on and on. He wasn’t the kind to blow his own trumpet. We all wish he had got little more recognition during his lifetime. He wrote so well, so consistently, it seems he has always been there, writing my songs. I’ve more of his songs than any other poets. Some of his songs are my favorite:
Jaane kyon log mohabbat karte hain- mehboob ki mehendi
Baaghon mein bahar hai, kaliyon mein – aradhana
Tu mere saamne – darr
Tere mere honton pe – chandni
– Lata Mangeshkar

thanks for this amazing post. the fb is really really good! i wish we had it for a lot more people of Hindi cinema.

What I found time amd again in the photos of fb page, were those of him singing: old and new, even one with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan listening!
Would love to hear a recording of such an occasion, if one existed: we are becoming greedy now :)

I like what Sukhwinder Ji, Playback Musician, said about Bakshi Ji – that Anand Bakshi wrote in simple words, but his poetry/message was very deep…he would give children dose of “medicine” wrapped in candy flavor, yes, I remember those words of Bakshi JI, all of the songs, God, I Miss Him!!!! His name still echoes in my ears from earely 70’s on as a mere child, yep!! the Host would say…Bol Anand Bakshi, I cannot remember how many times I heard that Name over and Over again, he defined my generation with his words…too many memories all at once…

You made my day memsaab with this guest piece! Thanks indeed to Rakesh for getting in touch with you and sharing these amazing photos and write up too. It is only now that writers, lyricists and other contributors to cinema are getting more recognition. Otherwise it is mostly the main lead actors who get all the attention (not deserved in many cases). I think many hindi film viewers would be familiar with Anand Bakshi for his sheer contribution to hindi film music not merely in numbers but also the beautiful poetry and the lovely tunes they were set to!

Here’s the link to one of the few songs SUNG by Anand Bakshi with Lata M in Punjabi from ‘Maha Chor’ called ‘Sun banto baat meri’. The lyrics are hilarious I understand from Punjabi friends. Unfortunately no subs.

I love that pic of Kamla Mohan in Kashmiri Dress. I think Kashmiri women treated carrying all this silver on them as weight training. Made them strong enough to do all the physical work that they had to do – performing tasks like rowing ferry boats, sowing and reaping in farms while the men smoked their hubble bubble.

I believe the hotel in the background of that pic having Rakesh with his father in Kashmir is the famous Nedou’s Hotel at Gulmarg, that’s one of the oldest Hotels in Kashmir.

@memsaab,
I forgot to add the photo of his mom with the Kashmiri jewellery was the typical tourist thing to do if you visited Kashmir. So she probably didn’t have to move with it! You know, rather like the Wild West photos in the US :)

Yes, I remember seeing a lot of that when we lived in Srinagar! Any time during the summer, if we went to the Nishat or Shalimar Gardens, we were certain to come across photographers who’d wander around with cameras and all the Kashmiri paraphernalia – clothes, jewellery, etc – you paid them, donned everything on top of your usual clothes, and were photographed right there!

Thank you for the write-up, Rakesh. That was a very interesting insight into Mr Bakshi’s life and career.

What a good article! The portrait of a young man, determined to learn music, and his self doubts even after being successful, is really inspiring. Thanks, Rakesh for sharing, and thanks Memsaab, for your hosting.

I am simply Overwhelmed by the sincere compliments for Anand Bakshi by you and your readers. And i simply cannot express what i feel. Thanks Memsaab for sharing. Thanks to Thomas and Elizabeth Daniel (Hawai) we met and could share with more.

@Rakesh – I am sure you may want to share some interesting tidbits of your father with us. Some anecdotes when he was writing songs that went on to be superhits. We, for one, will be really ‘eyes’ for these :-)

Reading about the legendary figures of yesteryears through their children- it cannot get any more authentic than that.

Anand Bakshi was the most prolific lyricist of Hindi movies during 1970s. It is great to have an insider’s eye view account on him. He had self doubts despite achieving so much ? It is in fact having such self doubts despite being on top than keeps one on his toes. This could well be the secret behind his consistent output for over four decades.

He was a legend of the golden era of Hindi movie music. He was easily one of the most prolific, if not the most prolific- lyricist in Hindi movies. It is nice to read this aricle. I thank his son -Rakesh Anand Bakshi for this informative post. I also thank Greta for being the facilitator of this post.

You are so right Atul—it doesn’t pay to get complacent! :) He truly is a legend. He is one of the first lyricists that I knew about—not speaking Hindi makes it hard for me to appreciate lyrics, but he was so prolific and talented that he was on my radar early on.

Lovely post thanks for sharing, this reminds me of my bad habit of tagging only the music directors and not lyricists, i need a long day to re-amend this, needless to say lyrics to his songs are amongst a lot of my favourite filmi soundtracks

He was easily the most prolific song-writer when I was growing up in the 70s. And, as has been mentioned, it was the most common thing in those days, while listening to radio, to hear “geetkaar Anand Bakshi…” while mentioning the lyricist of the song to be played.

He had already become quite famous in the late 60s (thanks to songs of movies like Milan, Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Jeene Ki Raah and Aradhana) but he just went to a totally different level of popularity in the 70s.

The songs of movies like Amar Prem, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Bobby and Julie (to name just a few) became hugely popular – and the lyrics had as much of a role to play in their success as anything else.

From what I know, he was best-known for getting the message of his songs across in simple lyrics. Often his songs were about life – like “aadmi musafir hai” from Apnapan (1977). This song was a huge hit in its time.

I can think of many more songs from many movies but it is not necessary to do so. I think we know what a legend he was. He probably did not get enough credit for his songs – maybe it was because of their simplicity? Unfortunately, many people tend to associate quality poetry with being esoteric. Maybe his recognition is still to come.

Anyway, I would like to close with one of my favourite songs of Anand Bakshi saab (from one of my favourite movies btw) – Amar Prem.

How come you still haven’t reviewed Sehar, a great movie starring Arshad Warsi? Its about crime in a province of India, and is very great except for the inexplicable presence of Mahima Chaudry..Highly recommended.

I am pretty touched and awed when some people have confessed to me how some song/s of my Father have inspired them.

Like Lyrics writer Javed Akhtar said he decided to take the plunge to commit to his “second relationship” by remembering Bakshiji’s song from Amar Prem – Kuch Toh Log kahenge, Logon ka kaam hai kehana.
And his favorite song is from Aap Ki Kasam – Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain jo mukaam….. he had said “if i am ever marooned on an island. all is need is this song to life the rest of my life secluded on the island.”

So i decided to share here a list of his songs that same people have told me inspired them, (i began making notes some time back and complied a list.)

Here is that list, the title of the songs with the names of the films they appear in, and i think many of them reflect the writers personal Philosophies of life ( these songs are a mix of Philosophies cus i think we need more than just a few Philosophies to balance the roller coaster ride!…):

kuch toh log kahenge- amar prem ( i recollect javed saab had said was in a dilemma if he shud end his marriage and begin a new relationship and it was this song which helped him take the decision without worrying about the consequences)

zinagi ke safar mein – aap ki kasam
(javed saab asked ab for the pen he wrote this song with. ab gifted him another pen the next day. jave saab had once said if the world were to leave him on an island then leave this song behind for him to spend the rest of his days with)

That is an amazing list of songs, Rakesh.
I happen to know most of them but did not know that many of them were penned by your father.
Now that I see this list, I realise how many of his songs were about life and living.

I will translate this for Greta and other non-Hindi speakers.
This song is sung by Rafi saab as a background song, mourning the killing of the elephant (I don’t remember the name now) by Sujit Kumar.

This stanza translates loosely to:

**

When an animal attacks/kills a man, everybody in this world is in a hurry to condemn it, saying it has lost its senses, that it has gone mad

Today it is man who has killed an animal. So why is everybody in this world so quiet? Why doesn’t anybody say anything (in protest)?

**

I heard this for the first time when I saw the movie in 1971-72 as a young boy. This has stayed with me ever since.

And many other songs also from the list above. Like “aadmi jo kehta hai” (Majboor). What lovely lyrics – so much depth. I learnt the lyrics the first time I heard the song way back in 1975 (Bakshi saab’s lyrics were always easy to learn because they were simple). Have never forgotten them. This is one of my favourite songs – and the lyrics are a big reason for that.

Oh! Even I remember that song and those lyrics from when I watched Haathi Mere Saathi—it was one of my favorite things about that movie. It brought tears to my eyes. Because of course I agree completely!!!! An understanding that animals belong to the world and have the same rights to compassionate treatment as humans do is kind of a rare thing to find anywhere, especially back then.

Anand Bakshi’s songs contain simple hindi words, nothing florid or bombastic. in this aspect, he reminds of pink floyd’s Roger Waters who wrote the lyrics for Dark Side of the Moon, Wish you were here, The Wall

Like Anand, Roger uses the most simple of words from the english language to construct the most profound ideas – about life, existence, sorrow, and angst.

(he wud tell me, and in many press articles ive read, he is not a poet, but a song writer, he considered sahir saab a poet)

Maybe this explains the “Geet Ke Bol”…

Some of his songs used to be like conversation between two people…like Baith Ja…Baith gayi….Khadi Hoja…Khadi Hogai….from Amir Garib…purist might frown at this…but it is perfectly justifed from AB Sahab’s…as he knew what he was doing…

At the same time…. innocuously sounding Hey Kya Hua…from Amar Prem…particularly the Mukhda would appear as a banter for a casual listener…but by the time you reach “Sheeshe Ka Khiloana tha….kuch na kuch to hona tha…hua…” you start getting the feel of it…

*
Today at 6pm, from the street below my house i heard a young flute seller play “Mere Naina Sawan Bhado…” from Mehbooba. music RDB. Lyrics Bakshiji.
he was playing so beautifully that i called out to him and called him up to my door steps.
i told him he is a wonderful player and i wanted to reward him. so i gave him some money.
he accepted the money and was surprised i did not want to buy a flute but yet i had paid him. he asked me why did i not buy a flute and yet i gave him some money for it.
i replied i was so pleased to hear this song that’s written by my father and i liked the gentle melodious way he played it and i was happy that someone as young as him is playing a song that’s so old.
he asked me who my father is, and i told him bakshji’s name.
strangely he did not react. he said he has not heard of him nor seen his picture ever, so i named RDB, and again a blank! he explained in embarrassment he was always a destitute and always uneducated so cannot read nor write.
then i asked him to play some other song and he surprised me by playing the song from Geet, aaja tujhko pukare mere geet…
i asked him to play yet another song and he played a song from Dil Toh Pagal Hai!
and he had sincerely told me with 100 percent honesty that he has not heard of rdb nor anand bakshi!
so i lead him inside my house and showed his bakshiji’s picture. he took bakshijis blessings.
then i showed him a picture of RDB and LP! he touched the pictures to his head and took their blessings.
i asked him why did he do this, and he replied,”i eat because of these people. and i do not know who they are till this moment. i wanted to say thank you”.
i was touched! i gifted him a book written by vijay akela on bakshiji’s songs.
he again took blessings of the book and then accepted it.
the flute seller walked away from my house, and life probably, but he left behind an emotion i cannot express in any language. but like him i think some things can only be expressed with music even if you can’t understand it’s language or origins.
the poor destitute musician left his mark on me, just like the legends have left a mark on us music lovers, beyond education, borders and language.
rakesh.

in the land of a billion people, and counting, who knows how many musicians of talent there are that roam the streets, trams, and trains, moving from one place to another, perhaps unlettered, but possessing something that does not come naturally to all- a musical ear…

in my years in bombay, i can recall many instances in the lifeline of bombay – the local train – during a long journey, amidst the flurry of feet at the stations and the ensuing din, against this routine dissonance one suddenly hears the melodic strains of a flute or an ektara (a single-stringed instrument played with a bow) – it could have been of a song from the triad of AB/RDB/KK rendered so soulfully as though that very dissonance has been muted. at times, the wandering minstrel is blind…

there must be many like this itinerant musician, playing songs that stand the test of time, identifying with the lyrics and melodies that he then renders on his instrument, perhaps not knowing the creators of the song…this is in itself is a tribute to the greatness of the trio of Anand Bakshi, RD Burman, and Kishore Kumar who are no longer with us but whose collaborative efforts in song continue to endure among the millions thanks in part to the efforts of these nameless faceless musicians who, in their struggle for existence, will always remind us of these unforgettable songs

Memsaab:
I like to hang out and read thru your blogs about films and stuff. However today I came across this Anand Bakshi’s info and it is truly amazing and touching. The info about the great artist and the comments from folks visiting your blog says highly of the quality of people visiting. The pics and info is very good.

Rakesh:
Your dad was a great man. I actually got all emotional when I heard he passed awy (of course in 2002). Someone in this blog mentioned he wrote simple language but had deep meaning and that is so apt. fyi: Anand Bakshi’s body of work 4 decades+ and always on top consistently is a great achivement. He also changed with time which kept him on top. I always felt the music and lyrics of Hindi films was superior then the filmmaking folks and your dad was one of those who gave meaningful and simple-worded poems in films. fyi: I have a film-artist folks collage in my little film den which has folks like Kurosawa, Yash Chopra, Amitabh B., Mira Nair, RD-God, David Lynch, Raj Kapoor, and Anand Bakshi is one of them. I want to checkout that book you mention of your dad’s poems.

Thank you both, for this awesome post; I just read it. Indeed, have bookmarked this page right away. For the benefit of some of the followers to this post who may want quick access to Bakshiji’s compositions, through a structured website, I recently came across http://www.hindigeetmala.com/lyricist/anand_bakshi.php … Rakesh, you know this already. :) Not only does this website allow easy access to 1230 songs that Bakshiji penned — even from as far back as 1957 — but also, we can read the lyrics; with the words in front of us, we can appreciate his talent even more so; it also enable us to sing the song (almost in karaoke style) along with the stalwart playback singers. For those among us who have heard these numbers ever since the onset of Bakshiji’s career as a lyricist in the late ’50s, we are all too familiar with his lyrics. The depth of his words has touched millions of lives (knowingly or silently); has brought many tears of joy, sorrow, and despair – as our lives progressed, and at the twists and turns in each of our lives (and we all have them in one form or another, don’t we?).

Indeed, Wikipedia’s ‘open-source’ format and editing guidelines require that facts need to be verified, hence anybody out there who is able to provide further information in support of what has been written on that page, will do us all (and to Rakesh) a wonderful service; the least we all can jointly do is to present a clean write-up that does justice to this great poet… doesn’t his name ring in your ears – just pretend you have Vividh Bharti playing in the background… song after song you will hear… “… aur ganey ke bol likhe hain Anand Bakshi ne…”

I have uploaded some rarest to rare, never seen before videos of my Father, Anand Bakshi’s Documentaries, and him singing at Home and at Friends Homes, along with some legends like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Talat Aziz, etc.
Some of these videos will be uploaded with two to three days.
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/rakeshbakshi?feature=mhee

Thanks for uploading the 6-parts of this documentary about your great dad and placing the link on this blog. For last 30+ years I have been imbibing beautiful songs by Anand Bakshi+RD or +LP and little insights and tit-bits about the songs in some way bring a little summation to those pleasant memories.

Also I feel there is so much content that your dad has created (songs) that you could try to release an official DVD like that UNMIXED PANCHAM DVD on RD, that Shemaroo released. Also, there is a nice book published which has Gulzar’s 100 songs Hindi and English with little notes and pictures and I can easily visualize such a publication of your dad’s work.

Memsaab:

Thanks to you too for creating such a vibrant blog and platform where such information is correctly funneled and shared.

Dear Rakesh, I wanted to suggest to you about the bio-graphy and lo, you have already mentioned about it. What else can be a tribute to a father (a great lyricist) and a great human being than a bio graphy by his son. Look, we public, have access only to information that is published in film jmagazines and we know that these magazines seldom devote any page to legends of Bollywood. Whatever is written is only from the point of view of a journalist. Earlier we had a column “They Quit the LimeLight” in Star & Style that was a popular column that featured those who had quit Bollywood.
People like you and Shilpi Bose are most qualified to write biography of your respective fathers.
Thanks for sharing what a great human being your dad was and the kind of values he had in life – that piece about lack of confidence was absolutely fantastic ! Also, it is remarkable that he seldom had any controversies. taht shows his nature.

Dear Rakesh, all the songs in your list are wonderful. But you reminded me of my school days when these 2 songs were part of the promotional efforts of movies
“Door Koi Majhi Pukara, kismat ka khel hai sara” – the Sanjay Dutt-Padmini Kolhapure starrer “Bekarar” – (1982) the lyrics were damn good and music is soulful and stirring.
Then the song – “Mushkil Mein Hain Kaun” from the 1992 movie (Jackie Shroff-Dimple Kapadia) Angar directed by Shashilal Nair. Did not know that your father’s ouevre was so varied. I think more than 75% of the hit songs were written by your dad. I wonder why your father never sang much – his bagon mein was too good. anyway thanks again for sharing this and all the best for your bio-graphy.”The rote rote hasna “: seekho is a legend.

I just happened to stumble on this post today, and what a fantastic post it is! My thanks to Rakesh Anand Bakshi for all the information diligently provided by him and to you for posting it all. Truly, Anand Bakshi was a great poet and a greater human being, an inspiration to us all, who felt the need to reinforce his faith in himself every time he started a new book. I don’t even know what to say about the greatness and genius of the man who composed lyrics which were so meaningful and yet so simple and easy to understand: Sheeshe ka khilona tha, kuch na kuch to hona tha, hua … I am speechless.

Thanks memsaab and Rakesh ji for this very informative post. I also wish to thank “words-n-motion” for mentioning our website and appreciating it. At the time of that comment by “words-n-motion” (on July 6, 2011), our website have around 1200 songs as penned by Anand Bakshi ji. I just wish to update that at present our website have over 3100 songs by Anand Bakshi Ji alone. You can view all of them here:

SK Goyal, your efforts are most commendable. Thanks for the link to 3100 songs of Anand Bakshi saab. Thanks to Mr Rakesh Bakshi as well for his additional inputs, links, and insights about his father. Thank you, MemsaabStory. :)

That’s wonderful. Could you share that pix you have that Anand Bakshi ji sent to you personally, I P S Anand ji? Was there a note along with it which you may have? Please share, if possible. Thanks. :)